Musical Theatre

The demanding ‘eight-show week’ schedule of many Musical Theatre jobs, often sustained over long periods, requires a versatile performer who is vocally and physically fit, and highly competent in all disciplines. You must be able to confidently deliver a wide range of vocal qualities and styles safely, together with good movement, dance and acting skills.

We place our students at the centre of our creative community and work in close collaboration with acting, music, production and design departments and create opportunities to develop a professional portfolio.

• Our classes are small, consisting of hand-selected cohorts to facilitate intensive and immersive training. You will benefit from individual attention and enjoy a close working relationship with your peers. This also means there is a variety of casting opportunities across the programme.
• Participate in dance lessons everyday including Jazz, Tap, Ballet as well as classes in movement and contemporary dance forms to reflect the demands of the profession.

• We offer regular one-to-one technical singing and vocal coaching lessons as well as group lessons to develop your vocal technique and repertoire.
• Looking after your voice is important and we set you up with the tools to do that. You’ll take part in weekly Estill voice training from Wales’ only Estill Mentor and Course Instructor, Tim Richards. Estill Voice Training is a system focused on the development of the functional awareness of how the voice works, making connections between muscular use and connection in the voice.
• Employability in the contemporary musical theatre industry is at the heart of what we offer. Our courses are modelled on professional industry standards and carefully crafted to prepare you for work and the changing demands of the rapidly expanding and increasingly international musical theatre industry.
• Our department has established strong links with leading employers, creatives, agents and casting directors from industry and our recent graduates have appeared in West End productions including Hamilton, Love Never Dies, The King&I, The Band’s Visit, Heathers, Jersey Boys, The Secret Garden, Choir of Man, Phantom of the Opera, Bat out of Hell, Les Misérables, and, as well numerous touring and smaller scale productions including Sunset Boulevard, Kinky Boots, Hairspray, Blood Brothers, and Spring Awakening in the UK and overseas.
• Truthful and connected storytelling through the integration of music, acting and dance is key, and you’ll be guided by eminent teachers, performers and practitioners from the international world of Musical Theatre.

• Opportunities to perform are a priority; where students learn through practical experience in a variety of contexts including our regular popular foyer Cabaret performances as well as full-scale public productions as part of our in house production company, the Richard Burton Company.
• You’ll train in our amazing facilities, which include being an all-Steinway college, bespoke sprung and mirrored studios and multiple professional performance spaces including our state-of-the-art concert hall and Richard Burton theatres.
• We incorporate unique opportunities for you to explore your individual contribution to the creative process through a series of dedicated performance-based projects. These include projects in Approaches to Acting, Song and Dance, New Writing, and an Agent Showcase and showreel.
• RWCMD has developed a distinct reputation as a champion of new writing, having commissioned and premiered over 30 new plays. In collaboration with Musical Theatre Network, we have hosted pitching days to inspire and showcase new writing. Students have been involved in the research and development of several new musicals including The Wicker Husband, which premiered at The Watermill Theatre last year, Hail Cremation and Toy Mic Trev.

Head of Musical Theatre Vivien Care’s performing career includes West End musical theatre, UK and international touring, studio recordings, television appearances, concerts, and radio.

She has been involved in several research and development projects for original work including Marguérite for Boublil and Schönberg, leading to a particular interest in new writing for musical theatre.

Performance highlights include the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company, The Sound of Music at The London Palladium, and several repertory seasons at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre including HMS Pinafore, The Boyfriend and High Society. Appearances in Les Misérables include the Palace Theatre and Queen’s Theatre, the International Scandinavian production, the 25th Anniversary Concert of Les Misérables at the O2 arena, and a private performance at Windsor Castle by invitation of HM Queen Elizabeth II. In 2020, Vivien was awarded the ARAM associateship of the Royal Academy of Music.